Course sub-headings

Course overview

Photography is at the heart of contemporary visual culture. It is a medium of documentation and illusion, communication and artistic self-expression. Within the fine arts and commercial applications, media and social networks our lives have become so interconnected through photography that it is hard to imagine a world without it. More than any generation before we are also photographic makers - capturing and sharing the moments in our lives, promoting our ideas and expressing our points of view through images.

The photography programme at Deakin University is about creativity and reflective engagement with the medium, technical proficiency, self-expression and realising the career and academic aspirations of each student.

Our new Photography course is fresh and exciting with state of the art equipment and facilities that encompass the breadth of analog/chemical, digital, experimental and cross-media photographic practices in an engaging programme which reflects upon the theoretical, historical and the contemporary fine art and cultural dimensions of the medium.

Multi-disciplinary teaching staff / practitioners and technical support staff will guide and encourage you through a combination of lectures, practical workshops and demonstrations, class tutorials and critique sessions, gallery visits, solo and collaborative based projects. Guest speakers and professional practitioner presentations are a regular feature within the programme and students also undertake fieldwork and industry visits and exhibitions of their own works. Students also have the opportunity to enrich their studies with a variety of options for international study tours and work placement internships.

When you study Photography at Deakin you will also discover an exciting range of inter-disciplinary options and clear pathways to post-graduate research in an academy which nurtures creative practice, critical and conceptual thinking and the vocational skills required for fine arts and commercial career pathways aimed at maximising the student’s individual potential.

Fees and charges

Equivalent Full Time Student Load (EFTSL)EFTSL is the standard annual full time load. Eight credit points is considered a standard full time load for one year of study. Each unit you study has an EFTSL value. You can add these together to calculate your study load for each year. Depending on enrolment, you may be enrolled in more than or less than the one EFTSL each year.

Commonwealth supported place (CSP) A Commonwealth supported place is one for which the University receives some Government funding. Students enrolled in these places are required to contribute only part of the cost of their course. To be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place you must be an Australian citizen, or a New Zealand citizen or holder of a permanent visa who will be residing in Australia for the duration of your unit/s of study.

* The indicative annual course fee shown has been provided as a guide only. It has been calculated on the basis of a typical enrolment of a student undertaking the course in 2016, and reflects the cost involved in undertaking a full-time quota of units within the specified discipline. The 2016 CSP course fees may change if the Commonwealth Government's proposed fee deregulation and reforms legislation is passed.

The actual fees charged by Deakin University will depend upon the discipline from which each individual unit is chosen, and may vary from the indicative course fee cited, particularly if units are chosen from a number of disciplines. The cost of each unit offered in 2016 can be viewed from the Unit Search.

The fees per unit/credit point may increase annually due to rises in the cost of course delivery and service.

Deakin assumes no responsibility for persons relying on "indicative course fees" to calculate the total future cost of their course.

Australian citizens or holders of a permanent humanitarian visa, enrolling in a CSP, may be eligible for HECS-HELP to assist in paying their tuition fees. For more information about HECS-HELP visit the Study Assist website.

Fee-paying student A fee-paying place is one for which the University does not receive any government funding. Students enrolled in these places contribute the full cost of their course.

* The indicative annual course fee shown has been provided as a guide only. It has been calculated on the basis of a typical enrolment of a student undertaking the course in 2016, and reflects the cost involved in undertaking a full-time quota of units within the specified discipline. The 2016 full fee course fees may change if the Commonwealth Government's proposed fee deregulation and reforms legislation is passed.

The actual fees charged by Deakin University will depend upon the discipline from which each individual unit is chosen, and may vary from the indicative course fee cited, particularly if units are chosen from a number of disciplines. The cost of each unit offered in 2016 can be viewed from the Unit Search.

The fees per unit/credit point may increase annually due to rises in the cost of course delivery and service.

Deakin assumes no responsibility for persons relying on "indicative course fees" to calculate the total future cost of their course.

Australian citizens or holders of a permanent humanitarian visa, enrolling in a full fee place, may be eligible for FEE-HELP to assist in paying their tuition fees. For more information about FEE-HELP visit the Study Assist website.

Career opportunities

Our objective is to provide photography graduates with the practical creative skills, critical awareness and confidence required to successfully establish themselves as professional contemporary image makers in artistic and commercial environments or to pursue higher level course work and research studies at a postgraduate level.

Photo-media industries are diverse and continually evolving and our students are successfully establishing exciting careers in a wide variety of professional imaging industries including:

Professional Fine arts industries

Professional commercial studios including portraiture, product and fashion

Self established businesses and freelance

Advertising, graphics, commercial illustration and retail industries

Photo laboratory imaging and printing

Documentary and evidence photography

Digital imaging industries, image banks and film industries

Community and government arts industries

Photographic education

The programme provides a depth of opportunities to pursue individual career pathways and develop a personal sense of style and autonomy as well as the ability to work in collaborative image making environments at a local and global level.

Entry requirements - general

Deakin University offers admission to undergraduate courses through a number of Admission categories.In all categories of admission, selection is based primarily on academic merit as indicated by an applicant's previous academic record.For more information on the Admission Criteria and Selection Policy visit The Guide.

Entry requirements - specific

For year 12/VCE entry: a study score of at least 25 in English (EAL) or at least 20 in English other than EAL; and presentation of a portfolio of work to a satisfactory standard.

Credit for prior learning - general

The University aims to provide students with as much credit as possible for approved prior study or informal learning which exceeds the normal entrance requirements for the course and is within the constraints of the course regulations. Students are required to complete a minimum of one-third of the course at Deakin University, or four credit points, whichever is the greater. In the case of certificates, including graduate certificates, a minimum of two credit points within the course must be completed at Deakin.

How to apply

Applications for study for Trimester 1 must be made through the Victorian Tertiary Admission Centre (VTAC). For more information refer to VTAC (external site).

Applications for Trimester 2 and Trimester 3 must be made directly to the University through the Applicant Portal. For information on the application process and closing dates, see the Apply web page. Please note that closing dates may vary for individual courses.

Other Course Information

Assessment

Assessment within the award of Bachelor of Creative Arts varies from written assignments and/or examination to practical and technical exercises and performance. In some units assessment may also include class participation, online exercises, seminar exercises and tests.

Cross-institutional arrangementsContinuing Deakin students may apply to study units offered by another Australian tertiary institution and have them credited to their Deakin University degree. Further information is available from Arts Student Services.